Something Different
by dragonheartt
Summary: Takes place in my freshmen-in-uni! AU. Connor's POV. A snippet of their developing friendship... and the possibility of something more? their relationship is best described as that of the connor and abby we see in season 2 of canon!Primeval :) T for a bit of cussing at the start. Might continue into Haloween-centered fic?
1. Chapter 1

AN: Takes place in the AU I'm currently writing, in which Connor and Abby meet as freshmen in university and become friends. Just a random snippet, and may or may not be included in some form or other in the main story. It's written from Connor's point of view, by the way. Enjoy? Also, Connor's under a lot of pressure, from himself and from others, about his major. He's technically a freshman, but is in a grade up.. which just means more pressure, even if he's a genius, stress can still get to him, yeah? :)

* * *

"I know fuck-all about it. Seriously. I'm bulshitting it, literally, and it's not even good, at all. It is so unbelievably horrrible that I'm embarassed, and I just... don't know." My tone rapidly changed from a growl to a whine, my cheeks flushed pink. I still wanted to take a piece of paper and tear it to bits, but not as much anymore.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could help..." She said slowly, her eyes worried and comforting at the same time. I managed a real smile, thankful for having her around.

"No, it's okay, really. You're helping, really." I told her, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her tightly. I felt her smiling against my shoulder, and her arms wound around me to return the hug. I took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her hair. It was calming.

"If it's any consolation, I do understand." She added quietly. I smiled, relaxing in her arms for a moment before pulling back, releasing her. She put a hand on my cheek and I blushed, surprised at that. It felt like... more. I didn't lose eye contact with her. It was comfortably intimate. That was the only prerequisite to making eye contact, for me, to know someone so well and be comfortable around them... and we were best friends. Possibly more? I wasn't sure. Her hand had left my cheek now, and I wondered if the pink on her cheeks meant anything. I half hoped so.

"Yeah." I was still smiling, my breathing even and calm. I knew coming to her for advice had been a good idea, even if at first, I'd stumbled over my words. She always knew the right things to say, or not say. "Thanks." I paused a beat, then glanced over my shoulder. We were near the bathrooms, and no-one had walked near or left or entered the bathroom whilst I was having a mental breakdown, and the cafe was just behind me. "D'you wanna go get lunch now?" I suggested, head tilted slightly. SHe nodded enthusiastically, and I grinned back. We walked side-by-side to the line. The quiet between us was comfortable, amicable. We talked a little bit, a touch of banter about ketchup and barbecue sauce and which was better.

After we ordered, I followed her into the main area of the cafe, and we bumbled about trying ot find a place to sit. We finally found a round little table, sitting across from each other.

"Are you planning on goign trick or treating for haloween this year?" I asked, out of the blue. My cheeks did not turn pink. I think. Hopefully? She met my eyes and chuckled.

"I dunno, depends."

"On what?" I asked, smiling.

"If you are going to, too." She told me, grinning.

"Definitely! So are we going together?... I mean, uhm... wanna go trick or treating with me?" I fumbled, knowing that my face was probably as red as a tomato. Her cheeks were a little flushed as well, though it was always harder to tell.

She was just lucky her skin wasn't as pale as mine.

"Yes, if you'd like."

"Great!" I exclaimed, digging into my lunch with gusto, excited. I'd hoped she would say yes.. because she was my best friend, and I didn't want to sit at home on haloween because I was too dorky and introverted to either be invited to, or to want to go, to any sort of parties. They really weren't my cup of tea, so to speak. Trick or treating, on the other hand... I don't know if I ever will stop, no matter how old I get.

Candy beats alchohol any day no matter what my sister and half of the over-21 population here seemed to think. My parents let me have sips at special occasions. I don't really like it that much, to tell you the truth. Okay, even my own mind gets completely off the point.

"What are you going ot dress up as?" She asked, and I looked at her, tilting my head and squinting my eyes to think about it.

"I haven't even considered. Odd. I usually start getting ready for Haloween as soon as it's October..." My brow furrowed. "How did I not plan on a costume?!"

"Guess something distracted you then!" She said with a chuckle. I smiled. She knew perfectly well that I'd been distracted ever since the first day we met. I'd been a lot less subtle about my attraction to her in the beginning.

"What about you, then?"

"I want it to be a secret." She told me, smirking. I pouted.

"That's not fair!" I whined, but she only smiled more, and I gave up with a good-natured sigh. "Oh, alright. You can have your fun. Guess I'll keep my own a secret as well, then. Once I decide, that is!" I didn't really have a firm idea. When I was younger, every year for like five or six years I wore a dalmation costume. Eventually I grew out of that, and I had to scrounge around for ideas. I usually came up with good ones, though. I think.

"Like you can keep a secret!" She laughed, and I chuckled along.

"I bet you I can keep my costume a secret longer than you can!" I challenged.

"Okay, but reveal is any time on Haloween day or night, okay? So if you find out mine that morning, and I don't find out yours 'till later, it doesn't count, because we have to find out before that day, yeah?"

I nodded. "Deal." She grinned.

We went back to eating, a few moments of chatter scattered about.

"Are you going to sit in on my class again?"

"Yep, if you don't mind? I'll even take notes this time!"

"Yeah, right!"

"Oi!" She smacked me, and I laughed, scrambling to my feet and dancing away from the table. She grabbed a french fry and pelted it at me, and I dodged, grinning as it soared past my left shoulder. I stuck my tongue out.

"Haha! Missed me, missed me, now you gotta-" My mouth snapped shut, the words of the rhyme dying in my throat, my face red in mortification.

_'now you gotta kiss me'._

I'd almost said that. Out loud. I swallowed audibly, forcing what I hoped was an easy grin back onto my face, walking back to the table and poking her shoulder.

"Now you gotta help me clean up!" I said, instead, feeling a little proud of that. She looked really amused, and my heart sunk. I hoped it didn't show on my face. She knew quite well what the words I hadn't said were. Was it that... that bad of an image in her mind, us kissing, that she found it funny? No. She was my best friend, she wasn't mean and she wouldn't laugh at me. She was probably laughing at my fumblign to correct the mistake. Yeah, that was it. It had to be.

"Right, I'll take your soda and you can put the trush in the bin." She sing-songed back at me, grinning in that way that made my stomach flutter and my breath catch just a little.

"What?!" By the time I managed to say that, she already had snatched my sprite and was chugging it, and had left most of the garbage on the table. She had taken some with her; I could see her tossing it into the bin. I shook my head fondly, gathered my things and the garbage, and followed after her quickly, half running to catch up.


	2. Chapter 2

My tongue stuck out between my teeth as I bent over the bits of wiring and metal. I glanced quickly over at my laptop sitting open within arm's reach, tilting my head to check the lines of the diagram.

"So, me 'n Tom were talking, an' we were plannin' on crashing a party off campus, down the ways a bit, seein' if we c'n get in."Duncan's voice echoed out of it; we were skyping, though I had a diagram up on the screen and a window with lines of coding. The only sigh that were were skyping was the little 2x2 cube near the bottom of my laptop screen with his face a bit too close in it. I rolled my eyes, smiling at my friend.

"Yeah, well good luck with tha'. Dunno what-all you'd do at a party like tha', anyways."

"Try'n get with hot girls, Conn!" He told me, as if I was being slow. I snorted.

"No offence mate, but score's lookin' bad for ya on that front so far. Maybe you should ask out Maybel, eh? She seemed keen on you." I suggested, grinning at the look on his face. Bloody hypocrite, but he was one of my best friends.

"No way! Maybel acts weird 'round me."

"She's got a huge bloody crush on ya, mate!" Tom's voice was fainter, and he wasn't in frame.

"Oi, 'oo asked you ta join in, ya bloody giraffe!" Duncan complained.

"Hair's a bit too bright f'r a giraffe, Dunc." I added mildly.

"Is this pick-on-Tom day or summat?" The tall, lanky redhead finally came into frame, shoving Duncan, who shoved him back.

"Mhm!" I said brightly, turning back to the contraption I was building.

"Oi, you gonna ask out th' hot blonde, then, smarts?" Came Tom's reply. I looked over, glaring; there was a smug expression on his face, and I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"No! We're just friends, alrigh'? But-" I paused for effect, smirking. "-we are goin' trick or treating together. So per'aps it's good tha' you two are tryin' your luck at a party, don't want ya ruinin' me chances."

"Y' think we'd 'ave a chance with 'er?" Duncan asked, I groaned.

"No! Not wha' I meant. An' her name's Abby. Anyways, I meant tha' she might think you two are too dorky, and by extension, me." I told them, turning the beginnings of something or other in my hands over, biting the inside of my cheek as I looked over the diagram, brow furrowed.

"Hey, Dunc, take a look a' this... y'think it'll actually do anythin'?" I asked him, clicking on the option to share my screen so they could see the plans.

"Hmm..." Tom rolled his own eyes, getting up and wandering offscreen again. A few minutes later the sound of some game or other started up in the background, and I smirked a little. Duncan was all business for a few moments, looking it over. "Well... no. Where'd you get these, anyway? They're absolute crap."

"Hey, the guy 'oo drew these up got it working!"

"Maybe 'e didn't want anyone else to, an' changed the plans?"

"Huh. Yeah..." I bit my lip, then pulled over a scrap of paper and a pencil, scribbling an alternate version down. I held it up in front of the webcam.

"Here, wha' about this?"

"Yeah... except if you attach that there, the arm'll hit that section..."

* * *

My mobile rang, and a quick glance down told me it was Abby. I grinned, flipping it open.

"Hey, Abbs."

"Hi." She paused. "So, how's your haloween costume coming along?"

"Oh!" I chuckled. "Woops! I haven't 'ad time ta think 'bout it..."

"You do know that it's next wednesday, and today is Thursday, don't you?" She said, and I could almost imagine her expression. Half exasperated, half amused.

"Is it? Woops! I'll think of somethin', don't you worry. What about your's?" I asked midly, smiling as I walked.

"Oh, it's fine. Just a bit of touch-up and it'll be ready. Anyways, I was wondering, do you wanna go pumpkin shopping with me? I figure you probably haven't had time to get one in whatever's keepin' you busy lately, and I need to get one as well..."

"And you have a car and I don't. Erm, sure, yeah, that's fine. Meet you by the north entrance?"

"Twenty minutes, and I'll be there. Oh, and I'm not paying for yours!" Abby added with a laugh. I snorted.

"Aw, why not?" I mock-whined

"Because you're not a five year old, that's why!" She told me, still chuckling.

"Yeah, yeah, though you tell me I am sometimes. Anyways, see you there!"

"Kay, bye."

"Bye." I hung up, flipping the lid closed and slipping my mobile back into my pocket. I shifted the messenger bag on my shoulder, and headed for my dorm room.

* * *

I did sort of have a vague idea for a costume. For a few years I'd been various superheros when I was younger, and when I was really little, a dinosaur.

Superhero costumes were childish, but I could probaby make a dino one work for me...

I got ready to go, switched hats, smoothed down my shirt and waistcoat, brushed metal dust from my fingerless gloves from earlier, and thanked whatever would listen that my roommate wasn't in. He was a total arse, but at least he was rarely in the room... of course, when he was, there was usually a girl with him, and I usually slept at Duncan and Tom's place... I still needed to talk to my RA and see if I could switch rooms with someone else, honestly. I just hadn't gotten around to it yet...

* * *

AN: So, I think I will continue this story, and it will be from connor's point of view. Don't worry, the main storyline of the AU - 'Fate' - will be continued, as will 'Gravity' and 'You can hear my heart break'! This is just gonna be side stuff :) And may make it into the main story in brief mention. THe main storyline will include anomalies and stephen and nick, wheras this one will not...


End file.
